TY - JOUR
T1 - Technology diffusion within families
T2 - experimental evidence from Nicaragua
AU - Ceballos-Sierra, Federico
AU - Arends-Kuenning, Mary Paula
AU - Hewey, Anina
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by Tinker Foundation.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Wageningen University.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Purpose: Different forms of social learning have been explored to act as complements to conventional extension services. This paper examines the possibility of using vocational training to high school students who in turn transfer information to their parents. Design/Methodology/approach: We conduct a randomized control trial in nine communities in rural Nicaragua and evaluate changes in the knowledge of agricultural technologies, access to credit markets, and technology adoption for parents and students using a difference-in-difference approach. Findings: Our results show improvements in knowledge-based outcomes for students and parents, and increased access to credit markets and adoption of agricultural technologies by parents. Practical Implications: Given the increase in schooling across developing countries, our results suggest that programs designed around within-family information diffusion can complement more conventional forms of agricultural extension. Theoretical Implications: Little explored channels of information exchange can act as complements or substitutes of conventional extension models, where those are weak or non-existent. Originality/Value: This paper is one of the first to explore and evaluate the teacher-student-parent of information exchange as an alternative for agricultural technology diffusion.
AB - Purpose: Different forms of social learning have been explored to act as complements to conventional extension services. This paper examines the possibility of using vocational training to high school students who in turn transfer information to their parents. Design/Methodology/approach: We conduct a randomized control trial in nine communities in rural Nicaragua and evaluate changes in the knowledge of agricultural technologies, access to credit markets, and technology adoption for parents and students using a difference-in-difference approach. Findings: Our results show improvements in knowledge-based outcomes for students and parents, and increased access to credit markets and adoption of agricultural technologies by parents. Practical Implications: Given the increase in schooling across developing countries, our results suggest that programs designed around within-family information diffusion can complement more conventional forms of agricultural extension. Theoretical Implications: Little explored channels of information exchange can act as complements or substitutes of conventional extension models, where those are weak or non-existent. Originality/Value: This paper is one of the first to explore and evaluate the teacher-student-parent of information exchange as an alternative for agricultural technology diffusion.
KW - Technology adoption
KW - agricultural extension
KW - credit markets
KW - randomized control trial
KW - social learning
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U2 - 10.1080/1389224X.2022.2043918
DO - 10.1080/1389224X.2022.2043918
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85126042449
SN - 1389-224X
VL - 29
SP - 309
EP - 326
JO - Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension
JF - Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension
IS - 3
ER -